


The Selection

by HereForTheFic



Category: The Selection Series - Kiera Cass, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Also titles all together someone help me, But for the story let's just assume Pidge is genderfluid, F/M, I don't know Spanish sorry guys, I have high hopes for this but my writing style sucks oh well, I'm bad at chapter names ok, I'm super sorry for all this OC, Keith is a prince oh my god, Lance is adorable please help him, Lance is one of the Selected please help him, M/M, Mostly Klance, Nonbinary Character, Pidge doesn't give a shit about what you think their sexuality is, Shay is human ok, Shiro and Allura omg how am I going to write them, Should clear out in a bit, Slow Burn, Sorry Shallura and Shunk shippers :'), Such an original title am I right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-10 13:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7847077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HereForTheFic/pseuds/HereForTheFic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Lance! It's starting! The Report is starting! Hur-ry-up!" Jace pulled, face tight with fake effort. "You don't want to miss your face on TV!" He yelled, pulling on Lance harder.</p><p>"Ok, ok! I'm coming, geez. But don't be disappointed if I don't make the list. It's only 35 out of, like, thousands of applicants. That's almost a 0 percent chance of me being Selected!" Even as he said that, Lance couldn't help the butterflies from forming in his stomach.</p><p>Or: Lance is one of the Selected and Keith doesn't know what the hell to do with 35 different boys trying to make him love them. What more could you ask for?</p><p>Results of my 2am drabble turning into a multi-chap fic, oops.</p><p>Sorry, I'm bad at summaries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know how to do italics, woops.
> 
> What am I supposed to put here, uh.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it. I'm thinking of making this a multi-chap fic but school might get in the way and irregular updates are going to happen so please bare with me! I have all intentions of finishing this, it just might take some time.
> 
> (I literally have all the Selection Series books out in front of me but please tell me if I make a mistake somewhere. I'm trying my best)
> 
> P.S: I'm making up characters as I go so it can fit into my story plane so if anything is not canon in the Selection Series or Voltron please feel free to tell me. I might not be able to fix it because, well, it's kind of my story but other than that, everything besides the main plot and characters belong to their respective authors.
> 
> See you on the other side!

Lance was not, in the least bit, surprised when the letter came. The Selection was an event that happened to all princes when they reached a certain age. It was tradition! What he was surprised about, though, was the fact that it was an invitation for boys only.

~

"I mean, it's pretty obvious Prince Keith is gay. Who wouldn't've thought about that by now?" Lance had said, recalling the time when Prince Keith had all but shoved a girl out of the way just to talk to his butler on television (ok, so he didn't shove her away, exactly. More like politely waved her off. But still, he looked immensely relieved when she'd left). He was walking with his sister back home from the small run he'd taken earlier. Jay, Lance's older sister who had been listening to Lance talk about his theories of how the Selection might have both boys and girls this generation ever since she'd bumped into him, finally spoke up.

"You know, if he is gay, then he might just have it be all boys instead of both girls and boys, you know what I'm saying? It's only natural."

"What? No." Lance said exaggerating the 'no' for emphasis. "Girls have always been present in the Selection. There's no way the King and Queen would approve of him having an all boy Selection. it would cause a huge uproar and all the boys of age would sign up just so they wouldn't get drafted. An all boys Selection just wouldn't happen." Lance made big hand gestures for emphasis as he talked.

"You never know. He is the prince, after all." Jay shrugged.

"Yea, but the King and Queen have to have their own opinions too, you know. It's not like they're robots." Lance countered.

Jay laughed a little at the comment.

"Who knew you had a brain in there Lancey."

Lance gaped at her, offended and a pink blush climbing up from his neck to his cheeks. Whether it was from embarrassment or annoyance, Jay would never know because at that exact moment, their mother called for them.

"I'm gonna remember this next time I ace a test. I'll be telling all my teachers about how you called you're little brother dumb. They'll be all over your case by then!"

"I'd like to see you try, Lancey." Jay laughed, sticking her tongue out at him and heading for the house.

Chasing after her, Lance grumbled under his breath about how he wished he was an only child and went inside.

~

At the time, Lance had thought Jay had been joking around. Yes, Prince Keith was obviously gay, but that didn't mean that those observations were necessarily true. He could be bi, for goodness sake!

But now that Lance had read the letter his mother had given him for the 6th time in a row, he was 100% sure Prince Keith was definitely gay. 100% sure.

Although Lance had shown a great amount of interest towards Prince Keith and the Selection, he also didn't want to be selected. He felt the need to help provide for his family of 7, and even if he was selected, he'd miss the little house he'd grown up in all his life. Yea, the money that was provided for all the selected boys was enough to provide much needed food for his family, but he had also thought about the work and school he'd miss if he were to try and sign up. They really couldn't afford to lose a day's worth of money, much less if it was spent towards school.

But his mother seemed to have other ideas. Being the only boy legible for the Selection in his family, Lance's mother thought it would be a good idea to try and convince Lance to put his name in with all the other boys.

"It could be a good experience for you. Also, I hear there's money involved with it. We could use the funding." His mother had said.

"Mama, I know all this, but you don't even know if I'll be selected. Besides, you need help here. Signing up for it would take a whole day! That's a whole day of work I could be doing and a whole day's worth of money gone. It wouldn't be worth it if I wasn't selected. And you know how the teachers get."

His mother had stopped pestering him about it by then. But the occasional nudge from her told him she hadn't given up yet.

~

A couple nights before the sign-ups, Lance had snuck out to the small tree house he called his escape. Every noise he made was painfully loud as he made his way across the lawn and up on to the tree.

He thought about his neighborhood as he climbed up to the small space above. He was a 5. Though his family was big, they couldn't afford much more than a 3 bedroom house and some clothes. Even if the 6 of them (not including Sammy) were to try and work to provide for themselves, it was still too little. No one had separate bedrooms, so that meant Jay, Alex, and Lance had to share a small bedroom barely large enough to hold all of them together, much less a bunk bed and a drawer for clothes. Jace and Sammy had to room together as well, though they weren't as squished as Jay, Alex, and Lance. His mom and dad had the last room.

Their front yard was no more than a rocking chair Lance had found lying around, discarded, on the street and some weeds. Inside, when you walked through the door, you could see the kitchen, and the small hallway that connected the living room to the bedrooms. The living room was to the right of the kitchen and didn't have much in it besides the small TV Jay had found and an old wooden desk to keep the TV stable. The hallway was centered between the kitchen and living room so all Lance had to do was walk straight to the hallway and turn left to reach his bedroom. The space was, to be expected, cluttered but neat. His two sisters did the cleaning in the morning before heading out to work while Lance cooked a bit and went to school. When he was off from work and school, he sometimes helped his mom out with meals and laundry. Though that rarely happened nowadays.

His dad was an artist, making fine pottery and selling them to the highest bidder. His mom worked on paintings, each project lasting around 3-20 weeks, depending on what her client wanted her to paint. Jay and Alex both worked at their local theatre as actresses, scraping up as much money as they could to support themselves and their education. Lance was a singer at the local pub, doing shows every hour after school until 9 and gave most of the money he made to buy food and clothes for his younger siblings (occasionally buying them sweets as a treat). Jace was a tutor. Even at a young age, he loved books and wanted to go and teach what he knew to other young kids, maybe even some adults that were willing to listen. He worked for a Three who was kind enough to let him work and tutor others for them in exchange for giving him an education for free. Sammy was still too young to figure out what he wanted to do to help out the family. Although he did pick-pocket a few Threes and the occasional Two.

Once he had gotten caught for stealing, back when he was still trying to master the art of pick-pocketing, and was given a hard slap on the face and robbed of everything he had down to the shoes he wore. When he'd gotten back home, his mother scolded him and hugged him saying how worried she'd been when he'd showed up with one side of his face as red as a tomato. His mother said he was lucky that he wasn't harmed any further. Sammy seemed to have learned his lesson, because after the incident, he was never caught again.

When Lance finally managed to get his body inside the small space, he immediately knew he wasn't alone.

"Sammy," Lance whispered, a bit surprised to find him here. "What are you doing here? It's past your bedtime. If you wanted to catch some last minute Threes off-guard, you're out of luck. Believe me, I've tried." He joked.

Sammy, Lance's youngest sibling, looked up at him, amusement slightly noticeable in his eyes.

"I'm just thinking." Sammy said, getting straight to the point and ignoring Lance's pick-pocketing comment. "What about you?"

"I'm up here to clear my head. Mom's been pestering me about the Selection. I kind of want to go to be completely honest, but if I'm not chosen, that's a whole day gone, you know? I don't think it's worth it, but mom says it would be ok if someone were to work a couple hours overtime for a few days to make up mine." Lance didn't mean to spill so quickly, but the lack of sleep from the past few days had caught up to him, and at this point, he didn't seem to care about telling anyone his true feelings. "What about you, Sammy? What are you thinking about? Trying to conquer the world again with your 'legendary knight in shining armor'?"

Sammy flushed red at that and hunched down, closing off from Lance a bit.

"That was years ago! Why are you bringing that up now?" Sammy stuttered, emphasis on the 'years'. "And, just for the record, no. I'm just thinking about what I want to do when I'm old enough to choose." He said, his tone implying that he didn't want to be pressed any further. But Lance, the utter airhead, didn't catch on.

"What do you want to be? You've never told us. I'm quite curious about that you know. We all are."

"I told you," Sammy said, annoyance leaking into his voice. "I'm just thinking about it."

That made Lance shut up for about a solid 5 seconds (a new record), shocked.

"Ok, Sammy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to press that hard." Lance said, thinking bit before he spoke again. "But do you want to know what I want to be? If i'm not Selected?"

Sammy tilted his head at Lance, slightly confused. All signs of annoyance clearly washed away.

"I thought you said you hadn't decided on whether or not you wanted to sign up." Sammy looked over at him curiously.

"W-well, I haven't." Lance stuttered, a blush forming on his face because, damn, how could he forget? "I j-just thought I could lighten up the mood, y'know?"

Even if Sammy didn't get it, he nodded anyways, tilting his head even more to the side.

"Well, what I want to be is an astronaut. I'm gonna go all the way up there-" Lance pointed to the stars from the window he'd just climbed in from. "-and explore all the planets."

"All by yourself?" Sammy asked, eyes going round as he leaned his head out a bit to look at the night sky.

"No, of course not. I'm gonna have my very own crew to come on with me. We'll explore all the planets and come back with tons of souvenirs. I'll even bring home a sexy alien girl if I happen to stumble across one. Ladies can't resist my good looks and charm, even on a different planet. I guess you could call them universally irresistible." Lance said with a wink. Sammy laughed at that.

"With you're taste in women, she won't be that pretty." Lance's stuttering made Sammy laugh again.

"W-whatever!" Lance whisper-yelled. Sammy laughed again, saying something that sounded close to "But you're bi, so you might also bring home a guy instead of a girl." around his laughing.

Lance sat there, pouting, until Sammy finally calmed down.

"I'm tired. I'm gonna go get to bed now ok?" Sammy said, a hint of amusement still leaking into his words, a half grin on his face. "Don't stay too long out here, Lance. You might not know this, but we can tell how exhausted you are after you spend nearly a night out here. Even with some of Alex's makeup on. By the way, her foundation does not go well with your skin tone." Sammy emphasised the 'not' in his sentence. Lance merely gaped after him as he climbed out of the treehouse, his feet not making a sound as he hit the ground.

"That was once!" Lance whispered after him.

~

When the day finally came, Lance decided against his better judgement ('What judgment?' 'shut up') to go and sign up for the Selection.

The lines were already so long with eager boys (and maybe even some girls? C'mon guys, the prince is gay) even in the early hours of the day. The office wasn't open yet, so most just sat on the ground. Some Twos sat with chairs and a butler attending their every need while some Threes were taking photos and playing with pebbles they found lying on the ground. Both castes seemed to have either too much makeup on them, or not enough. The fours and Fives were kind of hard to find, each person lower than Three seemed to blend into each other until they reached Six. After that, you couldn't really tell anymore. Again, either they had too much to wear, or they were immensely underdressed. Most seemed to be in their work clothes! At least Lance had the decency to put on a clean shirt and wash his face before he went out.

Lance stood in line until his feet ached from tapping the ground for too long. He thought about how much work he could've been doing by now. How much money he was wasting by now. Beginning to regret his decision of coming here at all, Lance began to pace. Right before he could decide to bail out, someone interrupted his thoughts.

"Dang, it's a really long line, isn't it?" A voice asked, jarring Lance out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Lance asked before turning around to find a larger male standing directly behind him. His face was friendly. He was on the chubbier side, probably able to fit two Lance's directly in front of him side by side and still be bigger than them. Though he was big in size, he looked like one of those people you could hit accidentally and have them apologize for your mistake (emphasis the 'them' and 'your').

"Oh, uh, yea. It really is long. I was just thinking if they didn't start soon, I'd bail." Lance laughed, hand reaching up subconsciously behind his head to scratch an imaginary itch.

"Huh, well I guess it's too late to bail now. Look, they've already started" The male said, pointing a finger towards the front of the line. As Lance's eyes made their way there, he could see that, in fact, they had started. His stomach dropped, although he didn't know why.

"I'm Hunk, by the way." Hunk said, reaching a hand out to shake Lance's.

"Lance." Lance said, reaching out to meet the arm. They shook and moved up the line a bit.

"So, are you a Three?" Lance asked awkwardly, trying to fill the empty silence that grew between them.

"No, Four. You?" Hunk ask casually, a small smile spreading on his face.

"Five." Lance said, finally getting a little more comfortable with Hunk.

"Nice, what do you do? I help my parents out at our restaurant down the street." Hunk said, smiling. Something about him seemed to make Lance want to tell him everything about himself. Maybe 'cause he was super nice?

"I sing." Lance said proudly, although, a hint of red did show through his mask of confidence. Hunk either ignored it or didn't notice.

"Oh, cool. Do you perform? Where do you work? Maybe I can stop by sometime."

"I work around where the Galra attacks have been happening, lately. I'd advise you not to go 'cause you might bump into them, though they shouldn't be a problem. They aren't the nicest people around, but if they mess with me or my family, they're the ones going down, not me." Lance said, flexing his right arm for emphasis. Hunk laughed.

"I wouldn't doubt they'd be out like a light against you." Hunk joked.

"Definitely. I-"

"Next!" Someone called. Apparently, they'd made it to the front of the line without Lance noticing.

Smiling apologetically at Hunk, they quickly exchanged work places and parted ways. The small conversation he had with Hunk replayed over and over in Lance's head, making him feel less nervous and more confident. Maybe he made a new friend. Lance hoped so. It was hard enough to deal with life's problems, much less not have someone there to be able to vent to.

'Maybe I'll go find him after this.' Lance thought, excitement coursing through his body.

Looking at the camera pointed at him, Lance whipped out the brightest smile he could muster. No one in all of Altea could look happier than Lance could at that moment.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In honor of our 31st Selection since our kingdom was established and peace was restored, I present to you with great honor, Prince Keith!" Coran announced, his booming voice bouncing off the walls for effect.

Keith smiled and waved at the camera awkwardly, trying to hold on to the stiff smile that was plastered on to his face.

'A few more seconds, you can do this.' Keith thought, mentally trying to reassure himself that this was not the real thing. That this wouldn't be the real thing until next week.

"Aaaand cut!" Shiro said, jokingly, making Keith's smile a little more real. The cameras cut as the camera men turned to bow at their king.

Keith put his hand down and walked off the podium.

"Explain to me why I have to do this again?" Keith asked, smiling and waving off the assistant that tried to powder his face again (emphasis on the 'again') for the 15th time this past hour. He had been told at least a million times by Allura, his adoptive mom, that this was to prepare him for when he was actually going to be on live television.

"Do I have to? I'm sure Allura would have drilled it into your head by now. There'd be no way to forget, with the way Allura teaches." Shiro said with a playful smirk, fondness seeping into his voice as he spoke about Allura.

Keith laughed. "You'd be surprised."

"Keith!" Coran said. "The applicants have arrived! We're planning on sorting through them once the last minute ones file through."

"That's great, Coran." Keith said, not sounding the least bit interested in whatever he was talking about. He genuinely did like Coran, but (let's face it), he could be a bit much at times. "Tell me when you're done filing through them. I'll look at them then."

Ever so oblivious to Keith's sarcasm, Coran actually saluted him and walked to his desk to look through the profiles. Keith smiled a little.

Waving a goodbye to Shiro and making his way out of the studio, Keith walked around the halls until he found himself in the garden. Soon the palace would be filled with 35 unknown faces. Not only did it scare Keith to be around so many unfamiliar faces, but it unnerved him with the fact that all those faces would be watching his every move. Each one having a slightly different tactic on how to win over his heart.

Keith sighed after about an hour outside and walked back inside the palace. It was getting dark anyways, and he didn't want Allura fussing over how he was late to dinner. Making his way around the winding halls he's been surrounded by his entire life, he found himself at the dinner table early for once. Or not.

"Good evening, your highness." The chef greeted. "What would you like me to prepare for you today?"

"I'll have whatever Shiro and Allura are having when they get here, thanks." Keith said, authority ringing off of every word he spoke. He liked having control over others, but sometimes it bugged him.

"I'm sorry to inform you that the King and Queen will not be attending tonight's meal. They specifically told me to tell you to 'enjoy yourself'. Other than that, they ordered a medium rare fillet mignon. Is that ok with you, your majesty?" The chef said, awkwardly. Keith cringed slightly.

"Did they tell you what they meant by 'enjoy yourself'?" Keith asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

The chef seemed flustered for not having an answer for the prince.

"No, though I think it might be related to the Selection. When Shiro had his Selection, he was tense all around until it got to the Elites." The chef explained.

Keith sighed.

'God, sometimes I wish they were more casual with me.' Keith thought. 'I hate formal conversations.'

"I guess that's what they meant, then. The fillet mignon will be fine, thanks. Could you send a maid up to my room when you're done with it?" Keith turned before he saw the chef bow. He didn't need an answer when his every word was like the law.

Taking the long way back to his room, he found Coran in his office furiously sorting through the applications.

"Hey Coran. You almost done with those?" Keith called, leaning on the office door's frame, hands in his pockets.

He could barely see Coran behind the mountain of papers piled on his desk, much less hear him as he yelled, "Almost, Keith! I've already got 26 promising applicants and 523 other ones on the waiting list if the last minute ones from Balmera don't come in soon!"

"Ok, Coran! Don't work yourself too hard. It's just 35 applications, not an entire army." Keith said.

"Roger that!" Keith heard before he turned around and made his way to his bedroom. He rolled his eyes and smiled a bit. Coran could be a handful at times, but at least he was reliable.

35 applications.

35 new faces that would appear at the castle in less than a week.

Even though he had gone and watched Shiro's Selection at least 3 times by now, he was still not ready. Shiro had been more than happy to give Keith advise on how to handle the first couple days of the Selection. There would be camera men, NEWS crews, and paparazzi lining up in front of the castle to catch a glimpse of Keith and the 35 lucky men that would join him. Even if Keith knew all that, he still felt sick to his stomach when anyone mentioned the attention this would give him. Not only that, but much of the kingdom expected Keith to eliminate some of the Selected the first day.

Keith groaned at the thought of having to eliminate them while he made his way to find his 'true love'.

'How do I even know if the person I'm looking for will love me back? What if they're just here for the crown? And what if I eliminate my so-called "true love" on accident? What do I do then?'

Again, Keith groaned.

Opening the door to his room, his three servants rushed to attend to him.

"Would you like me to draw your bath while you get ready for bed, your highness?" Enzo said. Ever so formal, this one. Keith smiled.

Before arriving at the palace, Enzo was a 7. Born and raised to work, Enzo served as Keith's personal servant. As an introvert like Keith, Enzo kept most things to himself. But he would occasionally voice his concerns to Keith when he felt uneasy. Keith trusted him with much of his own secrets as well. He could even consider Enzo his friend, if only things were different.

"Prince Keith, you're probably gonna get wrinkles at an early age if you keep stressing about the Selection." Shane said. How typical of him. Keith rolled his eyes.

Also like Enzo, Shane was a 7. Although not as quiet as Enzo was when he first arrived, Shane always got in trouble. He couldn't fold the clothes, wash the dishes, or cook for his life. But what he could do, though, was follow orders down to each individual word. He was also absurdly skilled in observation and was the one who taught Keith how to express his feelings ([kind of] if you count punching a bag and doing at least 500 push-ups a day because 'it's healthy, Shane.' and 'You should try it sometime. Helps relieve stress.' expressing his feelings).

"Also, have you noticed your hair go white?" Ash said. Keith laughed a little at that.

"I would have, eventually, without you telling me. You seem to forget I spend at least 40 percent of my day in front of a mirror to 'please the audience', as Allura calls it."

Unlike Enzo and Shane, Ash had been born with no name and no caste. When brought to the castle, he held himself with the status of a 2, but his clothes told Keith that he could have been born an 8. Keith had personally given Ash a simple name. Even if Keith didn't know it, Ash was grateful for having something to be called by.

"Excited for the Selection, your highness?" Enzo said, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"Ugh, don't mention the Selection to me ever again, unless you have a death wish." Keith grinned.

Enzo bowed mockingly at Keith while Shane smiled a devilish grin that suggested that he was up to no good again (yes, again). Ash stayed quiet, opting to observe instead of interact, but smiling all the less at the bickering group.

"Honestly, I don't understand your interest in men. You could've thrown in a couple of babes for me, y'know." Shane said, throwing his hands up to exaggerate his point and elbowing Keith at some point.

"Hey, when you become Prince of Altea, you can have all your fun with the girls here. Until then, you're stuck with men." Shane sighed dramatically. Enzo snickered at him. Ash decided it was a good time to get Keith out of his show clothes.

When they were done getting Keith ready for bed, they left with a bow at the door and some comments about how hot Keith's new 'boyfriend' would be.

Groaning, Keith plopped down on his bed and sighed.

'How the hell am I going to get through this?' He thought wearily.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lance! It's starting! The Report is starting! Hur-ry-up!" Jace pulled, face tight with fake effort. "You don't want to miss your face on TV!" He yelled, pulling on Lance harder.

"Ok, ok! I'm coming, geez. But don't be disappointed if I don't make the list. It's only 35 out of, like, thousands of applicants. That's almost a 0 percent chance of me being Selected!" Even as he said that, Lance couldn't help the butterflies from forming in his stomach.

"Oh quit worrying about that, your future boyfriend is coming on!" Alex yelled. Lance blushed and yelled something back about Prince Keith not being his boyfriend. His cry fell on deaf ears as all eyes were soon glued onto the TV before them.

"In honor of our 31st Selection since our kingdom was established and peace was restored, I present to you with great honor, Prince Keith!" Coran announced. It sounded way too rehearsed.

The Prince looked stiff. More like a plastic doll rather than an actual human being. Heck, even his small wave and forced smile looked plastic.

Only after the audience had quieted down and the royal family was announced and seated did Coran speak again.

"So, your majesty. How do you feel about 35 new faces coming to your life in the next few days?" Coran asked.

"Well, to be completely honest, I feel quite nervous." Prince Keith answered. His expression was neutral and his voice close to monotone.

'If anything,' Lance thought, felling a pang of jealousy. 'You look pretty confident about what you're dealing with. Not nervous.'

"Well, you should. I remember Shiro's Selection. Quite a bit of a disaster everyday, but hey, at least he's got a loving wife out of it."

At that comment, the King and Queen both looked at each other, eyes so full of love (or was it lust?) and leaned in for a kiss. The audience (along with some of Lance's family members) shrieked at the act. Boy, were they some power couple (literally).

After the screaming died down, Coran spoke again, a grin plastered on his face.

"Well, that was one hell of a reaction (Black Butler anyone? No? Ok). Now, even though that little display of affection still has my heart squealing like a little girl, let's announce the lucky winners!" And with that, Coran made his way to the bowl placed before the royal family and picked out a name.

"The first lucky winner of the day is..." Coran motioned for the drums, smiling. "Pidge Gunderson! Caste 3. Congrats. Second winner..." Lance practically zoned out after that. His attention split in two as he waited for his name, or anyone else he'd recognize, to be announced and having an intense staring contest with the kitchen wall (the wall won obviously, but Lance would never admit that even if it's 'practically impossible to have a staring contest with a freakin wall for goodness sake, Lance').

"Next is winner number 23! Hunk Garett (according to the comics and what they say, that's his name)! Caste 4. Congrats!" Coran said, still smiling. Lance jumped up at the name.

"Hey! I met him earlier today! He's going to freak when he hears about this!" Lance yelled, but was quickly and effectively quieted by his siblings with a loud 'SHHHHH!' (he seems to forget Hunk also has a TV since he's a higher payed 4. Oh well).

After going through about 30 names, Lance's was still unannounced. He got bored. And, apparently, so did Prince Keith by the way he seemed to fidget in his throne and turning to his parents. Lance sighed in defeat, the butterflies in his stomach dying down. Of course he wouldn't be picked. Lance started to move back to his room.

'Who would have ever thought, in their right mind, that he, of all people, be-'

"And winner number 35! Lance McClain! Caste 5! Congrats!" Coran said, sighing as he announced the final name. Even his mustache seemed relieved. Lance nearly tripped on his own two feet. His siblings were screaming and cheering. "Well that's a wrap, everyone! Thanks to those who applied for the Selection! Congratulations to everyone who made it! You're all are very lucky, indeed, to have this chance with the Prince! Until next time!" And the Report was done.

After that, the phone started ringing. And it didn't stop for days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW KEITH WAS SUPER OC IN THE LAST CHAPTER AND I'M SORRY BUT THIS CHAPTER SHOULD EXPLAIN WHY OK
> 
> Who am I kidding, everyone is OC so far and I am terribly sorry for that.
> 
> None of this is Beta'd BTW so there will be many mistakes! Just point them out kindly in the comment section below and I'll fix it on my own time!
> 
> Enjoy~

It was stormy outside the castle. Clouds rolled ominously above the tallest tower, threatening to pour rain and lightning to the ground below. The sky was almost pitch black, even though it was only 3 in the afternoon. Shiro and Allura, still in the hospital wing, had just received news about their 5th child.

Dead.

Like the previous four, their children had never made it past a day after being born. Allura cried. Shiro cursed their luck.

'Only one.' Shiro had thought. 'Am I asking for too much to want only one child?'

Carrying Allura back to their room, Shiro kept whispering soothing lies to her.

"Shh, it's ok, Princess." Shiro had a habit of calling her that. Though she didn't mind. "The next one. We'll get it right next time, ok?" He said, fixing a small smile on his face. Even if it was their 5th attempt, he hadn't given up hope. They would raise their own child, whether the gods liked it or not.

~

Shiro walked around the grand halls to the entrance of the castle. Someone was banging the doors and screaming their lungs out when he finally reached them.

"Your majesty," The guard stationed at the doors bowed. The screaming on the other side continued, sounding sad and desperate. "I don't think it is wise to proceed any further. You must understand that this woman has been here for hours, pleading for your help. She has a child, though we haven't seen it move or cry since she's gotten here. It may be a trap." The guard said.

"Let her in." Shiro's voice echoed off the walls. He was tired and curious. What urged the woman on the other side of the doors to keep crying for help, even if it had been hours since she'd first arrived?

"But, your maje-"

"That's an order!" Shiro rarely raised his voice, especially to new guards, but at this point he was too tired to care.

"Y-yes your majesty! Immediately!" The guard squeaked.

Opening the heavy doors, they revealed a small woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties standing their, shock covering her face. She was pale and carrying a small bundle of blankets in her arms. Her skin was a sickly shade of blue and had hair darker than the night itself. She had an otherworldly aura around her. And along with it, an otherworldly beauty. Shiro was perplexed, really.

'Where is her husband?' He thought.

That's when he noticed the blood.

"Oh my god. Are you alright? What's your name? Come inside, hurry! We need to help you. You need a-"

"NO!" The woman screamed. So loud, even Shiro flinched.

"No, I can't." She said in a softer voice. "I'd risk you and your wife. I don't need help, I just need a place for my son. His name is Keith. Please take care of him! Whether you make him a lowly 8 or a 1 like yourself, I don't care. Just... please, take care of my son." Her eyes were wild with fright. Her small and skinny frame shaking with cold and fear.

"No, you will take care of your own son. I will make sure of it. Now please, come inside. We need a healer!" He motioned the guard standing by the door to get a doctor, but the woman was faster, even in her injured state. She grabbed a hold of the guard and knocked him out cold.

"What are you-" Before he could fully get the question out of his mouth, the woman's hands were covering them.

"Please, you don't understand, your majesty. I am from the rebel group, Galra. I worked as a spy for them until I betrayed them for your kingdom. My husband did not know about my connections, and for that, he was killed. Please, you're my only hope for Keith. He is small, but he is strong. Take him and never mention this to him. If he finds out and seeks the Galra about information of his origins, he will be killed." Although she was shaking, the woman's voice was firm.

Shoving the bundle she'd been holding close to her chest into Shiro's unsuspecting arms, she ran.

"Take care of my son!" She yelled, and was gone.

Shiro stood there, stone still. But before he could try and go after her, alerted guards were rushing to his side.

"Your majesty, are you hurt?" One asked.

"Take his majesty to the hospital wing! We don't know what happened!" Another yelled.

"Someone help this one, he's down!"

After being rushed to the hospital wing even after he said he was fine, Shiro gave in and asked the nurses to care for the child he had in his arms. After he was checked and found in good health, the nurses and doctors took their leave. Each one bowing to him, respectively.

'What happened to her? Why did she come here, of all places?' A flood of questions began to sink into Shiro's head as he played the events of the encounter over and over in his head. The interaction couldn't have been more than 5 minutes, but that was all it took for Shiro to worry about the Galra even more.

The Galra were vicious rebels. Relentless. They wanted the caste system destroyed and the kingdom burned to the ground. Every person above the status of a 4 dead. They would build a new empire under their rule. Not only were they hard to eliminate, but when the castle spies would come up with any new information about them, they would be killed the next day, all traces of their existence simply gone besides a finger or two.

With each death, a new message would appear with it. Each one they received would be far worse than the one previous.

Shiro sighed in frustration, roughly combing his hand through his hair.

"Shiro?" He jumped at the sound, whipping his head up at the newcomer.

"Allura." He sighed, a small smile forming.

"Are you alright?" She said, worry tinting each word.

"Allura, what are you doing out of bed? You should be resting, not wondering around the castle. And yes, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." Shiro soothed. His voice was soothing and sweet. She couldn't help but rush over to him and embrace him.

"Shiro, what has happened? I heard a woman screaming about a child." Her blue-pink eyes stared into Shiro's. Her whole face was full of concern and a sadness so great, it made him want to cry and apologize to her about their lost children.

"There was a woman, yes. She said she belonged to the Galra before switching sides to us." At the word 'Galra', Allura flinched. "She said she wanted us to take care of her child. I don't think she'll be able to see him again. She also warned us to not mention his original birth parents or anything related to the Galra."

"Is he... is the child in good health?" She asked hesitantly. Shiro sighed again.

"I'm not sure. I'm having the nurses check up on him. We can visit tomorrow in the morning. After that, we can decide whether or not to keep him." He suggested.

"We're keeping him." Allura's voice was hard with resolve, her face determined.

"Are you sure? What if we find out he's sickly? Or unable to..." Shiro trailed off, not wanting to say the last part. But Allura heard it anyways.

'What if he's unable to make it past today?'

"He will. I heard the mother say he is a strong boy. He will make it through. He has to." Her voice faded into sadness at the last part. Both of them knew the pain of losing a child. They didn't want that to happen again.

"Alright. We'll raise him as our own. Say he is our 5th child. That we finally have an heir. Will that be alright with you?" Allura nodded and Shiro smiled. Cupping her face in his hands and placing a kiss on her lips, they left the hospital wing. Tomorrow they would announce the birth of their 5th son. The one who made it past a day.

~

Keith's first vivid memory was of the castle. He was 4. Even though he was young, he knew many things. He knew how to count, talk, add, subtract, multiply, divide, write stories, speak formally, and all the other things children his age would never learn. He played the piano and guitar for fun. He had many memories, but his first real memory was of the castle.

He stood outside its grand doors. The gardens were lavish and green. Red roses bloomed while green leaves created nutrients to support the flowers. There was a big maze, one he loved to get lost in. His favorite hiding place was a small corner at the very entrance. Every time he went there, he felt at peace. It was the only place where he could think clearly. He loved reading there. Although it was complicated to get there, he knew his way around. That's why when he first discovered it, he wasn't afraid of getting lost.

A bridge was built, long and gray, from the castle to the mainland so people could visit.The castle was white and blue. Four guard towers and an advanced sort of force field was up and running around the castle 24/7. Four lions were placed inside each tower. The fifth lion was placed at the top of the castle, though all of them were always hidden. When walking in, the main entrance was easily twice as big as the town square on the mainland. A large set of winding stairs fell from the second floor to meet him. The inside was quite a sight, really. One could easily get lost trying to find a simple bathroom. The path that led to the stairs also led to two separate sets of halls. Both similar, but different in their own way.

The dining room was big and grand, easily fitting more than 100 people. The hospital wing lived up to it's name, being able to fit nearly 300 people in it. The ballroom was so large and so full of color, one could fit a stadium in it and still have room. The women's room was smaller than the dining room, but it was no less grand. Though he was not allowed in there, Allura would sometimes let Keith have a small peak before shutting the door. There were at least 15 different grand rooms and over 50 guest rooms around the castle. One could spend a day exploring through all the rooms and still not be done until the next week!

That was Keith's first vivid memory since he was born.

Ever since he could remember, He'd always called his adoptive parents 'Shiro' and 'Allura'. It felt wrong to call them 'Mom' and 'Dad'. And besides, they had told him over and over again until they were sure he'd remember that they were his adoptive parents, not his real ones. He didn't really question it. He was a quiet boy with many things to hide.

"Keith, honey. Come here, please." Allura called. He ran to her side, face neutral and posture perfect, just like he'd been taught.

He wore a simple red tunic and white silk pants. His shoulder length hair was put in a small pony-tail. Violet eyes were always open and alert. Pale skin seemingly glowing when he went anywhere dark.

"Yes, Allura?" He asked. She smiled at him kindly.

"I'd like you to meet your new servant. His name is Enzo. He's 12 years old, so he counts as your superior even if you're a higher rank than him. He will be watching over you and keeping you from getting yourself in trouble when me or Shiro can't, alright?" Even though her tone was serious, she was kind about it.

Enzo had dark, chocolatey skin. His eyes were a golden, almost yellow color, hair swept up at the front and shaved at the sides. He was taller than Keith by a full 6 inches. His body looked toned and dark from the sun, as if he worked as a natural 6 or 7. But his face was held at a neutral, almost taunting, expression.

"Yes, Allura." He said, eyes flickering from Enzo to Allura as she spoke.

"Good boy. Now, Enzo. Play nice please." And with that, Allura left them alone at the entrance of the castle.

Keith stared at the boy in front of him for a full minute and a half. The boy stared right back at him, unflinching.

"Wanna go outside and play?" Enzo suggested. Keith nodded, and started walking towards the doors.

"What do you like to do?" Enzo asked once they reached the maze. Keith turned to him.

"What was your caste before you came to the castle." Keith's bluntness took Enzo aback for a moment, shocked to hear such formal speech from a 4 year old.

"...7." He said cautiously.

Keith nodded like he'd just figured out something important. Who knows, maybe he did.

Looking back at Enzo, he said, "If you haven't guessed by now, I'm not the people-person type. I will be honest to you, and I expect the same in return. Though you seem to want to be my friend, please try and do not forget your place in this castle. When we are around people, address me by my title, not my name. When we are alone, you are free to use which ever suits you best." Though Keith's voice was monotone, he tried to put some warmth into it. He really didn't know how to deal with a person, much less a child 8 years his superior. He was used to dealing with adults. This was new territory, and he just didn't know how to proceed.

A moment passed. Then two. Soon, Keith found himself looking at Enzo rolling around on the ground laughing his ass off.

"That... You... I..." Enzo seemed to be rendered unable to form understandable sentences for a solid five minutes before his laughter died down. Keith looked at him in confusion. Had he done something wrong? Was Enzo mocking him? He didn't know.

"Wow." Enzo said between giggles. He seemed able to control what was coming out of his mouth now, but every now and then he would look at Keith and start laughing again.

"You really aren't much of a people-person, are you?" It sounded more like a statement than a question to Keith.

"Had I not explained that 5 minutes ago to you?" He asked.

"No, you did. But it was just kind of funny, that's all."

"I don't understand, but alright." Keith said.

"That's alright if you don't understand. Don't worry about me misbehaving. Though I am a 7 by blood, I learn to adapt to things quickly and quietly. I won't bother you with unnecessary things, your highness."

True to his word. The next few years with Enzo were filled with ease. Keith was taught many things, from how to act on television, to how to play the most complicated piece of music. Though he was awkward with most newcomers, he would settle in with them after a few months, if they stayed long enough.

Enzo was the one constant by his side. After the first year with Enzo, Keith had lightened up a bit. Sometimes they would tell each other what they thought about the guests that would come and go, and sometimes they would sit in comfortable silence. They always expected the same thing from every guest.

But they never expected someone else to come tumbling into their life.

~

When Shane showed up, it was Shiro who introduced Keith to him. By then, Shiro had his arm replaced with a robotic one. Long story short, he was captured by the Galra on an undercover mission and tortured almost to death a mere year before. Allura had never cried (or, at least, Keith never saw her cry) when she was on the search to find and bring back Shiro. During the time when Shiro had gone missing, Keith and Allura had made a sort of schedule around each other. They'd grown to know when either of them wanted to be left alone or when either of them wanted company.

Even though it was only for a couple months, Keith and Allura had bonded and gotten close to each other. Coran helped Allura around the kingdom when she wasn't mentally able to. She was strong and rarely took any breaks, but she was also worried. Keith was too, so when the pain of not being able to see Shiro's smiling face everyday during meals was too great, he eventually came to Allura for comfort. Though he was reluctant at first. He didn't want to cause her anymore trouble and become a burden to her. But most of all, he didn't want anyone to know he had a weak spot.

After much thought and a gentle push from Enzo, he finally came knocking on her bedroom door. He told her about his favorite moments with Shiro and how he wanted so much to help him. He told her that he wished he could have done something to prevent it, even though it was near impossible. Allura listened with infinite patience as he spoke, only interrupting once to ask Keith if he wanted a tissue.

Keith was worried and scared, though he hid it well and started a private search on his own. When he heard news about a huge accident around the bad parts of a town he'd never visit, Keith was outside the castle before anyone could think to bring up the idea of a search party.

He'd gotten into a lot of trouble after that, but it was he who found Shiro near death in an abandoned alleyway near the wreckage. To this day, Allura still hasn't figured out how he managed to get out of the castle and into the mainland. But she was thankful Keith came back unharmed and her husband was still breathing.

He was rushed to the hospital in the castle and recovered quickly. Though his physical body was fully healed despite the scars littering most of his skin, his mind was not. Shiro still had nightmares, usually ones fragmented and unrecognizable. Ones filled with the screams of the lost spies he'd been with when he was attacked. He had worked day and night to find them, but he always came back frustrated and empty handed.

After a while, Shiro stopped searching when Allura and Keith appeared before him to voice their concerns. Though he still sent a spy to infiltrate the Galra now and then, usually coming up empty handed or dead.

~

Shane was louder than Enzo. He complained about a lot of things, but never openly. And, of course, never when Keith was around. When Shiro told him that Shane would be his new servant, Keith told him he already had Enzo and wanted to keep him. After much debate, Shiro gave in and told Keith that both Shane and Enzo would be his personal servants. Enzo and Keith had warmed up to each other by then. Though Keith quickly became distant again, and Enzo was back to square one.

Shane didn't seem to mind it, though. As long as Keith didn't yell at him, he was glad to be around the prince.

Shane appearance came with sandy blonde hair that fell down on the right side of his face and kind of reminded Keith of a waterfall. His skin was tan and his eyes were a deep green. His smile could light up even the darkest room.

After a couple months, Keith began to feel more comfortable with Shane. He relaxed a bit when Shane, Enzo and him were playing hide and seek. Sometimes Keith would even smile at Shane.

When Shane first made Keith laugh, he didn't stop talking about it for weeks on end.

"It's not that big of a deal, Shane." Keith had said.

"What do you mean 'not a big deal'?! It's a HUGE deal! I made you laugh! That's, like, the rarest thing ever! It totally tops being a personal servant to the prince! This is life changing, don't you see?!"

After the conversation, Shane made it his job to make Keith laugh again. It didn't really work after Keith found out about Shane's plan. But still, he wasn't discouraged.

~

Keith met Ash when he was 12. Having already been so close to Shane and Enzo, Keith felt like he could have a better experience with getting to know Ash.

"Keith, I'd like you to meet this boy. He doesn't have a name, so we don't know what to call him, but even so, he's going to join you and your group of personal servants now, ok?" Both Shiro and Allura were with him when they introduced the boy this time.

The boy, soon to be named 'Ash', had pitch black hair. His eyes were so dark, it seemed like you could get lost in them if you stared for too long. His skin was on the verge of tan and had a small mole on his cheek an inch diagonal from his left eye.

Keith just stared at him for a moment before smiling awkwardly and reaching a hand out to greet him.

"It's nice to meet you... I'm Keith, but you'll need to address me as Prince Keith or your highness or whatever when we're in public. Does that sound good to you?" He asked. Even if he's had experience with Shane and Enzo, Keith still doesn't know how to approach newcomers. He's awkward, but at least he's making progress.

"If you don't have a name, why don't you name him, Prince Keith?" Shane asked, peering at the boy from Keith's right shoulder. Enzo was a few paces back, arms crossed and eyes level with the boy.

"I know!" Shane said suddenly. "He has to be named something gray!"

Keith looked at Shane like he'd just lost his mind. Grinning, Shane jumped into his explanation of why he thought the boy should be named 'something gray'.

"He has black hair and black eyes! They kind of remind me of coal. But also, his skin is pretty light compared to his hair, so, logically, if you mix the colors together, you get the color gray!"

Keith kind of understood where Shane was coming from. Yes, the boy's hair and eyes did look like they could resemble coal or something close to it, but it seemed weird to name someone off of just observation.

"Well, we have no better idea, why don't we go with what Shane has to offer?" Enzo said, speaking for the first time since he'd gotten here.

"Exactly! Thanks for having my back, buddy!" Shane said, lightly punching Enzo on the shoulder. Although he still looked uneasy, Enzo smiled at Shane with what looked like carefully concealed amusement.

Turning to the boy, Keith said, "Would you like your name to be 'Ash'?"

The boy, now named Ash, nodded his head in agreement.

"Good! Now that that's settled, let's go get some food! I'm starving." Shane said. Together, the four of them walked in comfortable silence to the dining hall.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lance! Come help Mama with the chores! It's your turn!" Jay called.

Barely 5 years old, Lance had everything but a normal life where he could be a normal kid. Already helping around the house and caring for his younger brother, Lance was pretty busy with life at age 5.

And his mother, who was 6 months pregnant with yet another child, tired easily from work and 4 (soon to be 5) mouths to feed. Money was tight and every penny wasted had to be put to good use.

"Mama, you can go rest now. Lance will do the work for you! Because he's a big helper in a tiny body!" Lance said, puffing out his chest for emphasis. He smiled widely at her and went to work.

"Thank you sweetheart, that's very kind of you. But can you do it all on your own? You're still small. Maybe I'll ask Alex to help you." His mother said, opening her mouth to call for Alex.

"No, Mama! I wanna do it! I wanna help you so when my other sister or brother comes out, you'll be strong enough to help them! An besides, I'm a man! I should be able to help you out with anything!" Lance whined. He hated being small. He wanted to grow up faster so he could help! He wanted to get bigger so he could make money and provide for his growing family. But time was slow and money was tight. He had no choice but to wait. Later in life, he would learn that what he wanted was attention. Being the middle child was hard when his older siblings had the bar raised higher than he could ever try to reach.

"Ok, Lance. Just wash the dishes and fold the laundry, will you?" His mother caved. Lance brightened up at that.

"Yes ma'am!" He said, and went off to do his chores.

~

"We need a doctor, now! The baby's going to come out any second now!" Lance's father yelled.

His mother screamed in agony into a wet cloth Lance had brought her earlier. Her face was pale and had been twisted into a pained expression ever since her water broke.

Lance ran out of the house and onto the streets, banging on every door and running into anyone he met, asking for a doctor.

When he finally found one, he rushed him back to the house in record speed. A few hours later, the baby (soon to be named Sam [Sammy as a nickname]) was born.

His mother and father thanked the man and asked what his charge was.

When the man told them what it was, his mother's face was grim. That was when Lance decided to speak up again.

"I have the money." His mother and father looked at him, shocked.

"Lance, honey, what are you talking about? I know money is tight and we want to save every last penny of it, but don't go around making up stories about having money." She said.

"We'll just work for him until we pay it off, how's that?" His father offered, turning to address the man.

"But Mama, Papa, I really do have the money! I've been saving up for some toys for Sammy to play with! But We need to pay him, so I'm offering to give him the money!" Lance smiled at his parents. Both were shocked and proud at the same time.

"Are you sure, Lance?" The man asked.

"Most definitely. Wait riiiight here!" Lance rushed into his room to find the jar of money he'd been hiding under his bed. When he finally located it, He scrambled back up and out of his room to where the man was.

"Here you go!" He said, proudly holding out the jar to the man.

He dumped out the contents and began counting his payment. When he was done, all that was left was a single dollar.

"Thank you." His mother told the man as he gathered the money.

"My pleasure. You're lucky your boy found me in time. If not, I'm not sure the baby would have made it." After thanking him a few more times, Lance's father led him out and Lance stared wide-eyed at his new baby brother.

"Can I touch him?" Lance asked. His mother smiled fondly at him and opened her hands a bit.

Sammy's skin was soft and mushy. His fingers were curled into tiny fists and the small puffs of air blowing onto Lance's fingers told him that Sammy was alive and well.

"He's so soft!" Lance said, excitement brimming at the edge of his voice. He'd never touched anything in his life as soft as Sammy was. Lance was amazed that his skin didn't break at the slightest touch.

"Mama, does this mean you have to work extra hard for us now?" Lance's face fell when he asked this. He hated being useless. He wanted to work. He wanted to help his mother and father. He didn't want to wait anymore.

"Maybe, but it'll be ok. Everything always works out in the end, ok Lance? Go ahead and check on Jace for me. I'm going to wait until Sammy wakes up." His mother's face was soft with exhaustion and happiness.

"Ok, Mama. Don't work yourself too hard! That's my job!"

His mother laughed.

"Ok, honey. I love you."

"I love you too!"

~

It was when Lance was 10 years old, did he start to work. He also started school when he had enough money stored away. He was relentless. Even when the teachers scolded him or when he talked out of turn, Lance enjoyed every second in school.

As a loud and obnoxious child, Lance was surprisingly caring and kind to others. He made sure to help those who got bullied and those who were hurt. That, in turn, made all the bullies target him.

They'd lash out on him, sometimes leaving bruises that wouldn't go away for weeks, other times stealing what little money he had just for fun. But Lance endured it. He liked the attention anyways. He always thought that if the attention was directed at him, no one else would get hurt.

He was even able to get Jace into school eventually. Though he started at the age of 8, Jace had already flown past a good amount of grades before he was accepted as a tutor for a Three.

After Jace was taken care of, Lance helped Sammy out. Sammy was able to go to school at the age 6.

Lance was proud of what he did. He felt like a sort of hero. And he liked helping people, so that's what he did.

After school, he'd go to the theatre with his younger brothers for a little bit to watch his sisters perform. They were the best actresses in all of Altea, in Lance's opinion. They were always right on their lines, each word conveyed a deeper meaning and each act looked almost perfect. They weren't monotone like some of the other actors Lance had seen. They were good at what they did, so Lance was determined to do better.

He found work at a local pub a year later. Singing every hour until 9pm after school was difficult, but Lance managed. He'd do his homework at the pub, sometimes asking the bartender for tips and help if he didn't know something. The bartender was nice. He'd helped Lance with a lot of things, and for that, Lance was grateful. He didn't know too many adults that would be willing enough to help a child in need.

~

At the age of 15, Lance had saved up enough money to go buy himself a book. The book described a hero in shining armor who saved the day by killing a dragon that threatened the village and getting the girl he loved.

Lance enjoyed the book so much that he even read to Jace and Sammy a couple times before bed.

"I want to be the hero who saves the day!" Sammy said one day.

"But you can't! He's already taken." Lance said.

Sammy looked down at the bed sheets, pouting and lower lip quivering.

"But you can probably be his assistant! You know, like, someone who helps the hero save the day." Jace said, scolding Lance a bit after. Sammy perked up at the idea.

"Me and the hero are going to save the day!" Sammy chanted.

"All right, all right, enough with the hero thing." Their mother said, walking in on the three boys.

"Why don't you go to sleep now. Tomorrow's a new day! You can read more then." She offered.

"Ok!" Sammy said, immediately burying himself under his covers.

"I'm already on it." Jace said.

Their mother laughed and kissed them all goodnight.

"I'm going to head back to my room, ok guys?" Lance whispered.

Jace grunted in agreement and Sammy whispered and almost inaudible 'ok!'

After Lance shut the door, he crept into his room and fell asleep.

~

Jay and Alex were going out on a date. A date!

Of all the things in life Lance was prepared for, this was not one of them.

"How do you know you guys even like the people you're dating?! Or, worse! How do you know the guys you're dating like you! This is going to be a nightmare when they break up with you! Not only will I have to deal with two broken hearts, but I'd have to punch two guys in the face at the same time too?! You guys are impossible!" Lance complained.

He was sitting on his bed arms crossed and eyes narrowed, watching his sisters put on makeup and doing each other's hair.

Alex and Jay were twins. They both had the same set of deep gray eyes and perfect mouths. Their facial and body structure was almost mirrored and noses slightly bigger than the average person. But that just made them both look prettier. The only way to tell them apart was the small mole Jay had on her right cheek slightly diagonal to her eye and Alex's slightly tanner skin. The girls wore matching dresses that brought out their curves, though Alex's was black and Jay's was gray. The dresses had ruffles that went down half a foot past their knees. The sleeves were slightly past their shoulders and cleavage just right.

With a little blush and some clear lipgloss, their faces were practically screaming with beauty. No one in their right minds would be able to look past them and not stare.

"Oh come on Lance, it's just one date! Lighten up a little. When it's your turn to date, you'll start to understand why were doing this." Alex said, braiding Jay's hair into a small crown on her head almost identical to her own.

"Yea, Lance. Stop worrying about us. We're fine. We know what we're doing." Jay added. "Hey, you think we should put flowers on the braids to add a little more oomf to our features? They would look amazing on you, Alex."

Alex laughed at her.

"If they'd look amazing on me, think about how amazing they'd look on you!" She joked.

Jay playfully slapped Alex's hand on her head. Alex laughed again.

Soon, both girls were heading towards the door.

"Don't forget to tell Papa to eat and Mama to check the post office for any mail!" Jay told Lance.

"And don't forget about Sammy, ok? Make sure you check up on him every 30 minutes to see if he's still alive!" Alex said with a wink.

"Yea, yea, whatever! Go enjoy yourselves on your little dates and whatnot." Lance said, waving his hands at them.

Alex stuck out her tongue and Jay playfully glared at him before they both walked off.

Going back inside the house, Lance went to make dinner for his parents and Sammy.

Jace was out late tutoring someone while Sammy was inside his room cleaning and possibly reading Lance's book for the 1000th time.

"Papa, I brought you your food. Remember to eat it ok? We don't want you to fall asleep on your project again like last time." Lance called, entering the small space their family called a 'garage'.

His dad was a gruff man. He had a short beard and lean face. His hair was identical to Lance's, only graying, and his eyes were a rich brown. Though he had a tough and muscular build, Lance's father was delicate and precise. He had the same nose as Lance's sisters, but a thinner mouth.

"Thanks, Lance. 'Preciate you helping out."

With that, Lance left the plate on the work desk and left.

Next was his mother.

Although short and slightly on the plump side, Lance's mother was kind and strong. Her long brown hair was almost always tied up in a tight bun and her eyes were a deep blue.  
She was warm and generous, often treating everyone like family, even to those she'd just met. Her appearance alone would make you feel both welcomed and loved.

Lance found her outside doing the laundry.

"Hey, Mama, I brought you food. Don't work yourself too hard today, ok? That's still my job." Lance smiled.

"Ok, dear. Thank you for the food! I love you." She said, smiling back at Lance.

"Love you too!"

Walking back inside, Lance saw Sammy cleaning in his room.

"Hey, Sammy! Get over here, I made you some food, so you better not waste it!" Lance called.

"Be right there! Just hold on a sec!." Sammy replied.

"Alright, but hurry!"

"I just said I'll be out in a second! What part of that did you not understand?!" Sammy said, walking out to meet Lance.

"Everything." Lance replied with a grin.

Still a full foot shorter than Lance, Sammy was an almost identical version of Lance. His face was paler and his build a bit chubbier, but other than that, most people would call him a 'mini-Lance'.

"Whatever, where's my meal, you airhead?" Sammy said, grinning.

"I, for one, am offended to think that you, of all my siblings, would call me that." Lance replied, fake hurt seeping into his words.

"And I, for one, am offended that you did not already know that literally all of us think you're an airhead." Sammy joked.

Lance lightly punched him in the arm.

"Screw you." Sammy said.

"I would, but I've got plenty of other girls on the waiting list." Lance smirked, crossing his arms.

"And boys, for that matter." Sammy replied, taking his plate of food and shutting himself in his room before Lance could tackle him.

"Rude."

~

When Jace came home that day, Lance was dealing with two swooning older sisters, Sammy's leftovers, and a buttload of homework.

"Sammy! Why didn't you finish your food?! I made it extra special just for you!" Lance complained.

Their parents were still out working for another hour, so the house was just a bit quieter than it normally was.

"Oh my god, did you hear what he called me! Jay, we are soooo getting married and having kids! It's, like, a fact!" Alex said while trying to wash off the leftover makeup from her face.

"Alex, it's just one date. How can you even tell he wasn't doing that to get back at Amy for dumping him? Wouldn't be the first time a guy's done that to you." Jay grinned.

"Oh, c'mon, Jay. That was years ago!"

"And you still haven't gotten over him." Jay sighed dramatically. "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love. And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

They both giggled at the line.

"Jace! You're finally back! Come here and help me with these two lovebirds! I'm dying in my own embarrassment for these two!"

Jace was older than Sammy and younger than Lance. Most people told him he looked like the male version of his mom. He had the same set of eyes and slightly long hair. His facial structure was sharper than his mom's but still the same. Though unlike his mom, he had a skinnier build.

"Deal with your problems by yourself!" Jace called, waving his hand dismissively at him. Lance pouted.

"Aw, c'mon Jace! Pleeeaaaaaassseee?" Lance begged.

"Ugh, fine! But you'd better not make me help you out with homework."

Lance smiled.

"Deal."

And although Lance said that, Jace still ended up helping him with his homework.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AGAIN, I'M SORRY FOR THE OC BUT I NEED TO GET THEIR BACKSTORIES OUT OF THE WAY
> 
> I made the ending rushed so I could move on, but I hope you enjoyed this, nonetheless!
> 
> And, oh my god, I didn't expect anyone to read this, this is a dream come true! Comments and Kudos are very appreciated! Ilyasm
> 
> Next chapter, we'll hopefully be seeing Pidge and I'll try to introduce the main minor characters of this story (if that makes sense [no? ok])
> 
> Until next time!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: There was some confusion regarding this chapter so I've changed some things and moved time slots around. It's mostly the same but there are minor changes so if you want to read this chapter again, feel free to :)
> 
> Edit: For some reason my notes that was supposed to be for the first chapter keeps moving so now it's on the third chapter hmm. I wanna fix this but idk how to so I'll just leave it be.
> 
> Hi~
> 
> Welcome back to another chapter! Hope you didn't fell like you had to wait too long. School is killing me. So much homework, and I'm going back tomorrow T-T I can't survive another week! Christmas break, please come soon!
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the chapter!
> 
> A little warning in advance: This is not beta'd and I haven't edited it much after the time switch to Keith's part, so the timeline may be messed up. Please tell me if I've made a mistake somewhere or something doesn't make sense so I can fix it ASAP.
> 
> Thanks!~

When the official arrived at Lance's house a couple of days before his departure, Lance was not surprised. But he was a bit slow on the uptake.

"Hello, Sir Lance. Mind if I come in?" The official was short and chubby. His over comb was thick with hairspray and he smelled strongly of cologne and taxes. His glasses perched on the edge of his nose and irritated Lance's OCD.

Lance stood at the door, dumbfounded, until his mother ushered him out of the way. When their guest was comfortably seated at their small table, he asked that all children present leave. Sammy was the first to go. Then Jace followed closely by Alex and Jay. Both were smirking and wriggling their fingers at Lance suggestively.

Only when all of them were gone did the official speak again.

"There are a few rules that I would like to point out to you for the Selection, Sir Lance. Please speak up if you have any questions or concerns regarding the rules. Though they are pretty straight forward, so I don't expect much to be asked." Shorty said.

"Ok." Lance mumbled.

"First, I need confirmation that you are, indeed, a virgin." Shorty said, deadpan.

Lance was taken aback.

"O-of course I'm a virgin! Hell, I'm only 17! Why would I even think about that?! And I've read and memorized the important parts of the law!" Lance sputtered. His voice was loud and his face flushed with embarrassment.

'What the hell!' Lance thought, his blush spreading.

"Sorry to ask, but we need to know this information. You must understand that, according to the law, if we find out that you are not, you can be sentenced to death." He said.

"For goodness' sake, he's never even been in a relationship! You can't possibly think he would do such a thing!" His mother interrupted.

"Yea!" Lance chimed.

"Very good. Then you won't mind signing this form to confirm your statement." Shorty said, sliding a thick piece of paper with Altea's official seal on it towards Lance.

When Lance finished signing his barely legible signature onto the form, the official spoke again.

"First thing's first, rules." The official started. "You are not allowed to leave the castle grounds until you are eliminated or you have permission to leave from the Prince himself. You are not allowed to access the gardens unless you have permission from the Prince or a guard is present with you under the Prince's command. Until you are dismissed by the Prince, neither the King nor Queen is allowed to force you out. They can tell the Prince that they do not approve of you, but it is ultimately up to the Prince on whether or not he wants you to leave or stay.

"There is no time limit for the Selection. It may be over in a matter of days or years depending on the situation."

"Years?!" Lance gawked. He didn't think it would take that long for the Prince to find a suitable husband. Being away from his home for a few hours put Lance on edge. The thought of being away for a few hours turning into years made Lance rethink his decision. Did he really want to be stuck in the castle with 35 other applicants as the Prince's play thing for years without seeing his family once? Not really.

"Yes, years. Though it is unlikely that the Selection would be dragged out that long." Shorty explained. "It wouldn't look good to the people of Altea if their crown prince were to take such a long time to find and choose his future partner. Nevertheless, all participants would be required to remain for as long as it takes for the Prince to make his final decision."

Lance gulped. Who would take such a long time to find a partner?! If it were up to Lance, he'd choose the prettiest girl or boy in the group and be done in a matter of days, not years. But it wasn't up to him, and he wasn't the Prince, so he had no say in that decision.

"You do not arrange your time with the Prince." The official continued. "If he has taken interest in you and seeks you out for one-on-one company, you are not to deny. If you are in a larger social setting, you may ask, but he is not to comply. You work around his schedule, not the other way around. You are also not to go to him without an invitation. You still with me?" Shorty asked.

Lance nodded stiffly and Shorty continued.

"While no one expects you to get along with the other applicants, you are not to fight or sabotage them in any way. If you are found doing anything that might diminish another participants' personal relationship with the Prince, it is in his hands on whether or not to dismiss you on the spot.

"Your only romantic relationship shall be with the Prince and no one else. If you are caught writing love letters to someone else or caught in a relationship with someone else present here or at the castle, it is considered treason and punishable by death. If you are found breaking any of Altea's written laws, you will receive the punishment tied to the offense and made double." The official stopped momentarily to see if both Lance and his mother were still listening. After an affirmative nod from both of them, he continued.

"Your new status as one of the Selected does not and will never put you above the law. Also, for security purposes, you will not be allowed to eat or wear anything not made inside the castle once you step foot inside the walls. On Fridays, you will participate in weekly broadcasts. Occasionally, but always with warning, cameras and photographers will be present in the palace to catch a glimpse of your lifestyle behind the broadcasts. Please be courteous and allow them to explore what your daily life at the palace is filled with 'behind the scenes'.

"For each week you stay, your family will be compensated. I will give you your first check before I leave. Should you make it to the top ten, you will be considered an Elite. Once you have reached that status, you are expected to learn more about your obligations as part of the royal family. You are not permitted to seek out such details before-hand. From now on, your status is a Three."

"A Three?!" Lance exclaimed.

"Yes, a Three." Shorty confirmed. "Though your whole family still remain as Fives. Should you win and become Prince, you and your whole family will become Ones. Until then, their castes will remain the same."

"Ones." Lance's mother breathed, speaking for the first time since they'd started with the rules.

"And should you come to marry the Prince and become the crowned Prince of Altea, you will take on all rights and responsibilities of that title, understood?"

Lance barely nodded his head before the official was up and marching towards the door.

"Please remember these rules and take them to heart. This is meant to help you, not hurt you. Until then." Shorty handed Lance's mother the check and left.

~

"Lance! You'd better not forget about us ok! Just because you're off to go marry the Prince doesn't mean you can neglect your duty to take care of us!" Sammy said, a full on pout pasted on his face and arms waving frantically up in the air to emphasis his points.

"I'm not going to marry the Prince, you dim-wit! I'm going to become one of his choices!" Lance retorted.

"You need to tell me all about him when we come and visit you! Maybe even write letters if we can't see you soon! Oh, and send me books! I need new ones and I want to learn about something other than how to write the Alphabet in 500 different ways." Jace sighed, arms crossed.

"Screw you, Shorty! And maybe. I'll be damned if I find any books the Prince will allow me to even touch!" Lance huffed.

"Don't forget to be yourself, Lance! The key to a man's heart is to be honest." Alex said, going full on philosophical on Lance a moment later.

"Ugh, if he acts like himself to the Prince, He'd be kicked out before he even got to touch the food there." Jay smirked.

"Hey!" Lance whined. Jay stuck her tongue out and winked while Lance crossed his arms and pouted.

Stubbornly turning his head, Lance marched into his room and stayed there while his siblings gossiped.

~

"Are you excited to be meeting the Prince in less than a day, Lance?" Jay asked. She had snuck into their room while the others argued about the best way to catch Prince Keith's attention. Lance was laying on the bed, wearing a uniform provided to him courtesy of the Castle.

"Honestly? I'm not sure. I don't want to leave you guys, but if I'm helping you out with money, then I can manage. I just hope Prince Keith doesn't drag this out too long. I don't think I'll be able to stand it being cooped up with stuffy Two's and Three's." Lance replied.

"Yea, I don't think I'd be able to handle that either. It's a miracle the Prince hasn't kicked everyone in office out yet. I hear after the Selection, he's going to remodel the entire office and replace them with new people. Hopefully with ones who actually know how to do their jobs." Jay laughed.

Lance was too nervous to do more than laugh along with her.

Unlike the rest of his siblings, Jay was really the only one he could feel comfortable telling secrets to. Maybe it was because she was the oldest (born 9 seconds before Alex, to be exact), or maybe because she always had this protective aura around her, but either way, she was the easiest to talk to.

A knock on their bedroom door signified more officials had arrived to pick Lance up.

Lance got up and grabbed his small bag without a word and flashed a sad smile at his sister before exiting the room.

"Don't slouch, Lance. Remember, we love you no matter which path you choose, ok?" His mom said. Her smile and bright eyes were the only things that made Lance hold back the tears that were inevitably going to slip sometime soon.

"I won't, Mama. I love you too." Lance replied quietly, kissing her cheek. In a louder voice, so all the officials could hear, he said, "Who do you think I am? A child? I'm Lance McClain! To hell if you think I'm going to back out of this contest. Just you wait, I'll get the Prince's heart in no time!" He winked.

After he hugged his family goodbye one last time, the officials led him away.

~

The Selected were not allowed to say goodbye to their families at the parade, which Lance thought was stupid since the media would get a shit ton of emotional gossip and such, but it was a rule.

Lance was 1 out of the 2 Selected in his providence. The second was Hunk. Floats bigger than buildings and colorful hot-air balloons decorated the road and sky. People from all around the neighborhood and more came to see Lance's departure. And Hunk's

Lance's float was tall and blue. Feathers differing in shades of blue, violet, and a deep green spread out from an indigo perch Lance was currently on and unfurled far out into the crowd. Lance would occasionally catch glimpses of people tearing some of the feathers off to keep for themselves. He smiled wide. The float was being controlled by a small, 4 wheeled vehicle that sat under the float, just out of view from any prying eyes. Hunk's float behind Lance's had a similar design, Although it had more of a yellow color than a blue one. It was also littered with sparkling light yellow jewels, each one almost bleeding into white.

Most people at the parade screamed and waved, blowing kisses and throwing rose at the floats. Many waved around posters or a huge picture of his or Hunk's face on long wooden sticks. Others looked at him as if he'd taken away something that should have been theirs. Some even looked like they would go through Hell and back just to see him dead and themselves on the float.

Lance avoided eye contact with anyone he deemed hostile. He waved and smiled and blew kisses right back at the onlookers. Behind his enthusiasm and excitement, his nervousness coiled around his throat so tightly that he ached to cry.

On the loud speakers attached to the float Lance was standing on, the announcer narrated almost everything he did.

The parade lasted for what seemed like an eternity. Lance didn't know what emotion he felt more, excitement, or anticipation. He wanted to like the fact that he was going to meet their future king soon, but he also wanted to go and hide. He didn't like the eyes that were constantly on him. He didn't like feeling lonely and surrounded by people all at once. He preferred one or the other.

When the floats got to the end of the line, the mayor of his providence was waiting near the podium that sat directly in front of two limousines. The mayor was a tall and lean figure. His hair had more gray than black and his face held stress wrinkles. Other than that, he was wearing a gray suit and a smile that must have been perfected over the course of long years in the office.

"Welcome," He said once Lance and Hunk got off their floats and onto the podium seats. To the crowd ahead, he said, "It is an honor to have 2 of the Selected come from our providence. This chance is only one in a lifetime, so please, wish these two young men the best of luck once they enter the castle!"

Cheers rose from the crowd and confetti was thrown in the air. Lance looked over at Hunk and whispered, "You think the Prince is watching us right now?"

"Maybe, but I don't see too many cameras from the royal palace." Hunk whispered back. "They could just be doing this for the media. I honestly don't see the reason why we have to be shown off like this. We already had our names drawn in front of the whole country!"

Lance laughed at him and pulled back. He was grateful to have Hunk in with him, even though he'd just met him earlier that week. He relaxed at the thought of having a friend near him while the Selection took away everything else.

"I hope the serve good food. Maybe I'll be able to sneak some home once Prince Keith thinks I'm not his type." Lance winked. Hunk laughed and agreed.

"The food there better be better than what I make at home, or else what's the point of going to the palace?" Hunk said. Lance laughed and hit him lightly on the arm.

"I agree."

"Now, without further ado," The mayor suddenly said. "Lance and Hunk! Congratulations and good luck!"

~

The ride to the airport was short and quiet. When Lance and Hunk arrived, he found two other Selected there along with a very tall and (mind I say) old male waiting patiently for all of them to arrive.

"Good, you're all here. Now, let's get you onto that plane and into the palace. Go on now, boys. It won't bite." The chaperone said.

One of the boys snickered.

"You seem to forget, old man, that some of us are of a higher class. We all know what happens on a plane. Well, maybe not those two." The boy sneered. The chaperone said nothing.

His eyes were a vibrant gray color that seemed to spell out nothing but trouble. His hair was a deep brown and his lips were a full pink. He had a buffer build and a snarky tone to his clipped voice. He wore a suite almost identical to Lance's and held himself as if he was already the king of the country. Looking at the golden name tag on his chest, Lance saw that his name was Alec.

Lance growled but was held back by Hunk's hand. He shook his head at Lance and backed off. Lance, still glaring at the boy, copied Hunk's move and backed off as well.

Slightly disappointed, Alec walked over to the plane's entrance and gave the attendant his passport. The other boy, smaller than Alec by at least 6 inches, had a quiet demeanor. He gave off a sickly aura that smelled of competition and fear.

His name tag held the name Kaden. Kaden also wore a suit similar to Lance's. His hair was swept away from his eyes in a clumsy matter, and had irises darker than his pupils and skin that seemed almost pale in the sunlight.

Kaden gave Lance a knowing look and walked towards the attendant.

Lance followed his example and gave his passport to the attendant as well, giving her a charming smile and a flirtatious wave as he made his way towards the plane.

Once seated, Lance took in his new surroundings. He'd never been on a plane before. It was exciting and scary at the same time.

Hunk sat next to Lance and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath in and out before turning to Lance.

"Hey, do you mind closing the window seal? Or maybe keep most of it closed? I get motion sickness, so I don't exactly was to puke all over you when we've literally only know each other for 5 minutes." Hunk said. Lance laughed a bit and complied.

"Thanks." Hunk said. "So, what do you think about the other boys? Alec seems competitive. He gives me a bad vibe."

Lance nodded in agreement.

"I think he's out for blood, not Prince Keith. Hell, with his personality, I'd be surprised if he wasn't eliminated once the Prince looked at him." Lance whispered.

Looking over at the other side of the plane, Lance saw that Alec had an eye mask on, choosing to sleep while Kaden had decided to take out a thick book and read.

"Kaden, I'm not sure about him. He seems quiet at first, but he also gives me a bad vibe. Quiet and destructive don't mix well, in my opinion." Lance lowered his voice as he said this. He didn't want Kaden to get a bad impression of him, but he also didn't think he was actually reading the book. Not once since he's opened it, has he flipped a single page. At least, not since Lance last looked over at him.

The plane began to move as they talked, gaining speed and momentum. Once it reached a certain speed, the plane lifted off the ground and into the air. Hunk, who had been happily conversing with Lance, felt the take-off and proceeded to barf in a bag a flight attendant handed to him.

"Sorry, not used to this. Never been on a plane before, but I guess you haven't either, right? Since you're a Five? Not that I'm degrading you or anything!" Hunk quickly added. Lance shook his head and smiled broadly at Hunk.

"Don't worry about it, man! I don't think anyone lower than a 3 has ever been on a plane unless someone gave them the money or they had to go for business with other, higher castes." Lance said, shaking off Hunk's comment.

"Hmm, you're probably right. Anyways, what do you think they'll make us do once we get to the palace?" Hunk asked suddenly.

"Wear suits and ties and flirt with all the pretty waitresses, that's what." Lance joked. Hunk laughed and nudged Lance's arm.

"Sure, sure." Hunk said once his laughter died down.

"What? I'm only stating the truth!" Lance said, but even he laughed.

After almost an hour of talking and waiting, the plane finally made it down safely to the ground once more.

"We're here!" Lance said, looking out the window from his seat and staring at his new surroundings.

"Oh thank god. I thought we were going to die for a second." Hunk said, covering his mouth in an attempt to stop from vomiting again.

"You know, for a big guy, you can't really handle much when you're moving in any type of transportation, can you?" Lance observed.

"Probably the case." Hunk replied, smiling.

Lance grinned at him and poked his arm.

"Let's go. I bet all my adoring fans are waiting for me outside." Lance teased.

"Hey, you're not the only one who has fans. Think about the rest of us!" Hunk said. Lance ignored him and jumped out of his seat. Alec was already out the plane when Lance retrieved his bag from the cabin above. Kaden was walking along the isle and Hunk was struggling to get his seat belt off.

"Ready?" Lance said once Hunk found his way out of the seat belt situation.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Hunk said. Lance flashed him a toothy grin.

"Let's get going!"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keith was in his room when a sudden burst of noise made him jump out of his seat.

"Prince Keith! It's the Galra! Please head to the underground tunnels! The King and Queen are waiting for you there!" A guard said, rushing Keith to the hidden door on his wall. Keith, who had gone through this procedure one too many times before, rushed through the door with ease.

Once the guard deemed Keith to be safely inside, he closed the door and ran to help the others. Meanwhile, Keith sprinted down the dimly lit pathway and into one of the rooms. True to his word, Allura and Shiro were already inside, waiting for him.

"Keith." Shiro breathed and walked over to him.

"Shiro, how far have they gotten? Is anyone hurt?" Keith asked. He was worried about his servants. He knew Enzo and Ash were tough opponents, but Shane was still learning how to use a sword and gun. Hell, he couldn't even shoot correctly even if an object were directly in front of him.

"I don't know. All I heard was that explosion outside and a guard came rushing in to get me in here. It's a good thing none of the Selected are here yet. This attack could have been worse if they were here." Shiro said.

"All we can do now is wait." Allura said, though Keith knew how badly she wanted to fight the rebels currently ransacking their home. Allura's mother and father had been killed in an attack while they were staying at the palace during Shiro's Selection. The only thing she had with her to remind her of her parents was a small charm and a box that held encouraging words from her father.

"I wish we knew why they want to build an empire so badly. How is our rule so bad? If I were them, I'd be grateful for all the things they could've had." Keith said, a tinge of annoyance leaking into his voice.

"Keith, that's not the way a prince should act." Allura scolded. Keith merely rolled his eyes and frowned. The Galra had been attacking them relentlessly ever since they'd heard of the Selection. The palace had leaked false information about the day that all of the Selected were to arrive at the palace. Allura wanted to test and see if the Galra would attack on the date of their 'arrival'.

Proving her theory, the Galra attacked the palace only mere hours from getting hold of the information. Luckily, no one died, though many suffered serious injuries that would take months to recover from.

"Hey, where's Coran?" Keith asked suddenly. He looked around the small space but didn't find the orange haired male anywhere.

Allura gasped. "You're right! Where is he? Shiro, was he with you when the guard ushered you down here?" Allura asked.

"No, I thought he was with you, Princess." Shiro said.

Worry suddenly tinged the tense atmosphere. Keith was frowning and Allura was pacing. Shiro looked to be in deep thought, though it was clear he wasn't getting anywhere by thinking.

"He probably made it to the wrong meeting room." Keith offered. It could be true. Time to time again one of them would forget which room to meet in and hole up in a different one until the attack ended. It wasn't uncommon for them to split up like that.

"You're probably right. Let's just hope he found his way down here and is safe along with the new staff members. Hopefully, none of them get too traumatized by this attack to leave, but I won't make them stay if they don't want to." Shiro said, worry still etched in his brow.

Keith sighed and sat down on the wall near the back of the room. This was going to take a long time.

~

Hours had passed since the attack first started. Keith had grown impatient and began pacing while Allura fell asleep to pass the time.

"How you holding up?" Shiro whispered, careful not to wake Allura. Keith grunted but said nothing else.

A few moments passed before a knock came from the door. Three consecutive knocks, a beat, then two, and finally four. Shiro let out a sigh of relief and went to wake Allura while Keith got the door. Standing out in the hallway was Coran, looking a bit dirty but in good condition.

"Well, hello there. Fancy meeting you here, aye?" Coran joked. Or, at least, that's what Keith thought. Making his way around Keith, Coran waltzed back to Allura's side and asked if he and Shiro were alright.

"Allura! Shiro! Good news! The Galra rebels were removed only an hour ago, but there could be some leftovers. They managed to break into the control center, but didn't manage to get any information. I highly recommend you go back to the rooms and stay there until the staff has finished cleaning and preparing for the Selection's arrival." Coran said. "Oh, and Keith. I advise you to stay in your room until tomorrow once the guests arrive. It's an unspoken rule that none of them are to meet you until they've had a day to prepare themselves. As you may know, many of their lives have changed completely since we announced the 'winners'." Coran winked. "If, you'll excuse me now, I have some papers I must finish before checking up on Allura again. Please make haste to your rooms!" Coran said. And with that, he left the royal family alone in the small room to digest what had happened.

"I'll go to my room, then." Keith said. He didn't like thinking in such a tense room. He knew Allura and Shiro were glad to see Coran safe and sound, he was too, but being holed up in such a small room for over 3 hours was more than enough 'bonding time' to Keith. He wanted to clear his mind and find his servants. Or friends. He wasn't sure which one he preferred calling them, but it was certain that they meant more to him than servants.

Keith left the room without another word and made his way outside.

Keith searched around the castle for a bit but couldn't find them. He opted to ask around, but that would be too much of an awkward situation. Many of the new members were scared out of their minds, respectively, and were in no condition to do much of anything except shake like a leaf. So far, Keith had encountered at least 7 of them wanting out before he decided that that was enough. After half an hour of searching around the gardens and inside the castle, Keith sighed and made his way back to his room.

Surprisingly, he found Enzo and Ash already there, cleaning up his almost undisturbed room.

"Keith!"

"Prince Keith!" Enzo and Ash screamed, jumping on him and forcing him to the ground.

"Woah! Guys! Hey! No touchy-feely moments right now, ok? You know I'm not the type to do those kinds of things." Keith said, trying and failing to shove both boys off of him before he got crushed.

"We were so worried about you! How could you not return our feelings for you! How cruel!" Ash whined but got off Keith. Enzo soon followed, but neither of them strayed far from Keith's side.

"Where's Shane?" Keith asked. Popping his head out from under the bed, Shane let out a loud 'Roar' to which Keith screamed (a manly scream, not a high pitched, squealing girl, type of scream. No way that happened. Nope) and nearly kicked Shane into the next world.

"Holy shit, Shane! What the hell was that for?!" Keith yelled. "You nearly gave me a heart attack you childish bastard!"

Hearing the commotion, several guards rushed into Keith's room with their guns out and swords drawn.

"Your Majesty! What's wrong? Were there any Galra rebels left in your room?!" One asked.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Just this psycho under my bed who nearly had me dead on the spot." Keith joked. Apparently, the guards don't have a sense of humor, because before Keith could react, they pulled out Shane and shoved his arms behind his back.

"Hey! Guys, I'm his personal servant! What the hell, man? Stop!" Shane yelled.

"Release him!" Keith said, voice turning to steel as he finally grasped the situation.

"But-" The guard holding Shane tried to say.

"I said, let him go! Or do you want to lose your position?!" Keith asked.

Squealing, the guard dropped Shane's hands and backed away.

"N-no your highness! I was just-" The guard started.

"My god, don't any of you guys have a sense of humor? It was just a joke. Shane wouldn't hurt me even if he tried." Keith said, annoyance leaking into his voice. "Leave."

"Y-yes your majesty!" They said in unison, bowing quickly and literally running out the door.

"Ugh, only an hour since I got out of that 'jail' and I already have a headache." Keith complained, flopping down on his bed.

"If it makes you feel any better, we're all safe and you got your castle back." Shane offered, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh no you don't. You're not off the hook just yet, mister. I'll be damned if you try and pull off that kind of trick on me again. Enzo, Ash, grab him!" Keith ordered, pointing a finger towards Shane and springing off the bed.

"What-? Hey- Guys! Stop! Wait, wait, wait, no! Stop- Ahhh!" Shane screamed. Enzo and Ash quickly got a hold of Shane's arms and legs and abruptly pulled him down on the bed.

"This is your punishment for scaring the hell out of me." Keith said, leaning close the Shane's face. He raised his arms high and slammed them down onto Shane's stomach. Wiggling his fingers around, Shane started laughing and squealing, struggling to get away from Keith's fingers. After a while, Keith motioned to Enzo and grabbed Shane's legs.

"En-zo," Shane wheezed. "No-no more. Please!" He begged.

"Sorry, but master's orders, am I right?" Enzo said, looking over at Keith for confirmation. When Keith nodded, Enzo began tickling Shane's weak spots, going for the armpits, neck, and stomach. Shane all but screamed in laughter while Ash, Enzo, and Keith giggled at his sorry attempts to break free.

"Ok, that's enough." Keith said, still laughing a bit from the show. He and Ash let go of Shane's arms and legs while Enzo stopped tickling him. Ash made his way towards the door and put his ear on it.

"You're... cruel... Keith..." Shane breathed. A grin was still plastered on his face as he tried to glare at his Prince.

"If I'm considered cruel, I wonder what form of punishment Allura would give out if she were here." Keith threatened, but it held no bite to it.

"True." Shane said, getting up off the bed and smoothing his uniform out.

"Hey, Keith. I think I heard something about the Selected arriving around midnight tomorrow. Want us to scope out who'd be your type and who wouldn't?" Ash said, wiggling his eyebrows at Enzo and Shane.

"Nah, I'll do it." Keith said.

Ash looked confused. "I thought you weren't supposed to officially meet any of them until the next day? Have the rules changed?" He asked.

"No, but I'm going to need to borrow some clothes from you guys. I want to see for myself what the boys are really like before they can tell who I am with a ponytail up." Keith said. The boys looked back an forth at each other, exchanging looks.

Finally, Shane grinned. "Already on it, boss." He said, saluting. Keith rolled his eyes and sat down on his bed.

"You guys should get some rest. I know it's been hard since the Galra attacked. I'll be fine on my own, ok?" Keith said.

The boys nodded and left without a single word.

~

Later the next night, Enzo brought Keith a change of clothes and headed out. Though, before he did, Enzo managed to bring his makeup kit and added a couple features to Keith's face, one that included contacts and facial hair. Perks of being gay, he guessed.

Keith, being a night owl and not wanting to damage his new look, put on the clothes close to midnight and crept out his room, leaving a pillow to act as a makeshift him sleeping in his bed when the guards rotated and went to check on him.

Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he hastily pulled his hair into a ponytail and walked downstairs towards the grand room. He could hear the boys before he saw them. Peaking in through the crack at the door, he spotted most, if not all, the Selected scattered around the room. He scanned the room and heard parts of conversations he knew he shouldn't be listening to.

"...wonder how his personality is..."

"...never gonna fall for you..."

"Hey, isn't that..."

"Hunk! Watch out!" Someone yelled.

Immediately, Keith's attention turned to a loud crash as horrified gasps sounded around the room.

Keith strained to see what all the commotion was about, but couldn't see very much besides the crowd of boys near the back of the room. Keith was just about to open the door a bit further when a tap on his shoulder startled him.

"What are you doing here? Get back to work! The castle doesn't look this clean if we don't tend to it!" A woman said. She was plump and short and had gray hair dotting her hair that suggested she had either stressed a lot about her work, or she was getting old. She glanced up and down at Keith, recognition and doubt flickering on her face.

"Y-yes ma'am." Keith said, mostly from habit than anything else. He was used to Allura scolding him, not someone else, especially of a lower caste than he was. He scurried away from the door and back the way he came from before the lady could say anything else. After a couple twists and turns, he leaned back against a wall, frowning and thinking about what had just happened.

Keith sighed. 'I guess other people besides the Selected wouldn't recognize me with a ponytail after all.' He thought, then proceeded to mentally slap himself. 'Well, no shit Sherlock. You do have makeup caked all over your face, you idiot.'

It was a strange sensation. He was used to commanding, not being commanded. Also, he's lived with most of these people his whole life (excluding those who were newly recruited)! How could they not recognize him even if his hair was pulled back and he had a little (a lot, Keith. A LOT) of makeup on? Strange.

Keith was about to leave for his room when he heard voices bounce off the walls.

"And here is where you'll be staying until the Prince sends you away." Someone said.

'Probably a tour guide.' Keith thought, a ghost of a smile on his face. But then realization hit him like a brick and he scrambled to get away from the group before they had the chance to spot him.

Unfortunately, Keith only had so much luck before his supply ran out. A hand grabbed ahold of his wrist and pulled him down towards another hall while the other hand clasped firmly over his mouth, silencing any sort of distress calls he would have uttered. Eyes wide and frantic, Keith stepped down hard on the intruder's foot and twisted the hand that was holding his wrist.

The intruder let out a high pitched yelp and loosened his hold. By then, Keith had both of their hands and twisted the person around, slamming them to the wall.

"Hey! Hey! Watch it!" They said, Keith pulled harder and the intruder yelped again.

"Ok! Ok! Uncle! Uncle! Dude, stop!" They whisper-screamed. Keith loosened his hold a fraction and took in their appearance. The intruder had tan skin and rich blue eyes. He was taller than Keith, but not by much. And lankier. Hell, the dude even smelled like homemade soap and roses. Not to mention he was attractive.

Wait, what?

He was wearing a uniform that looked like the ones Keith saw in the room with the Selected. Suspicious, Keith looked for weapons, but found none.

"See? I'm friendly! By the way, not the best introduction to the person who just saved your ass. A simple thanks would be nice, you know." They said, smirking flirtatiously at Keith.

"Introduction?!" Keith hissed. "You were trying to kidnap me you bastard! To hell with introductions! And 'thank' you?! Not a chance!"

"Hey! Would you mind keeping it down?! You don't want to be caught by mister Rules over there, do you? And could you please let me go? This position hurts like hell. But if we're gonna get intimate, I got bad news for you buddy." He said. Immediately, Keith let them go and jumped back a few feet, blushing slightly.

"Oh my god, that feels soo much better." The intruder sighed, rubbing their wrist and smirking at Keith. "So, am I going to get my thanks now, or do I have to beg for it?" He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Aren't you not supposed to flirt with anyone else other than the Prince?" Keith asked. It felt strange to address himself in third person, but this person didn't need to know who he was yet.

"Well, I wouldn't call this flirting, more like conversing. Unless, you want it to be flirting." He said, smiling and leaning towards Keith. "Anyways, hi, I'm Lance. Nice to meet you." The intruder- no, Lance- said, extending his hand out for Keith to shake.

Keith said nothing, choosing to stare at Lance's hand instead of take it.

"What? Not a people-person? That's ok. Anyways, the reason I pulled you away from there was because if you get caught wandering the castle halls alone, you're in for trouble. Trust me, you don't want to get one Rule's bad side. No thank you." Lance grinned. "Wait," He said suddenly, frowning. "Do I know you? You look really familiar to me. But you can't cause you're one of the staff here, right? Maybe you just look like someone I know. Hmm." Lance thought, tapping his finger to his lip.

Keith was stone-still as Lance thought.

"Uh, it was nice meeting you, but I really got to go. Bye." Keith said, desperately trying to get himself out of the situation. He was about ready to bolt out of there when he felt Lance's hand on his wrist again. A bolt of electricity shocked his systems and he stopped.

"Wait, don't go that way. That's where Rule's is, remember?" Lance whispered. "Hey, if you're a staff member, wouldn't you happen to know which route would be the safest one to take to get back to my room? I snuck out cause I wanted a better tour around the castle, but I guess my self-tour is cut short now that you know what I'm doing." Lance winked.

"Uh, I really got to get going." Keith said, pulling against Lance's grip. "I'm, uh... late for, um, work?" Keith said uncertainly. Lance frowned at him and looked him up and own.

"Are you sure you work here?" He asked, grip tightening only slightly on Keith's wrist.

"Y-yeah, I'm just new. I know the layout of the castle pretty well, but I don't know my assigned job." Keith lied. Seriously, what the hell was spewing out of his mouth right now?

"Hmm, strange. Well, if you don't know what your job is, why don't you escort me to my room?" Lance said, smirking a bit at Keith and wiggling his eyebrows even more.

Keith groaned but complied. Why the hell was he escorting a Selected to his room? Lance should be escorting Keith, for crying out loud! But he guessed life didn't really work out like that anymore.

"So, when did you come to the castle?" Lance asked. Damn, this dude was talkative.

"Uh," Keith scrambled to think of a random date he could lie about. "Maybe 2 weeks ago?" He offered. "What about you? When did you get here?" He asked, but immediately mentally slapped himself for it.

'Smooth, Keith. Real smooth.' He thought.

"I'm one of the Selected." Lance said, puffing out his chest and smiling even wider. My god, his teeth were white as hell. Or heaven. Wait, what?!

"I got here a few hours ago. I miss my family already, though. I didn't get to say goodbye to them when I left the parade, so that's probably why I miss them more than usual. Do you think Prince Keith would allow family visits? Or maybe let us go back to our homes for a bit for Christmas or something? That would be great if he did." Lance said, smiling. His eyes looked distant and full of love. Keith was a bit jealous.

"I'm not sure about Prince Keith, but he might let you if you ask him." Keith said. Again, it was strange to talk about himself while escorting one of the Selected to his room.

"Really? That would be great! I'll ask him tomorrow then." Lance said, smiling brighter and nearly jumping up and down from where he stood.

"I think this is my stop. Thanks for helping me out, man. I owe you one!" Lance winked and ran off. Keith stood there for a moment, dumbfounded.

'Shit.' He thought. 'Fucking shit.'

It wasn't like Keith started to develop a small, teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, crush on Lance, but damn were his eyes captivating. Keith shook the thought out of his head and walked back to his room. Eventually, he took off his ponytail at so the guards and staff could recognize him as he made his way back to his room.

Landing on his bed with an 'oof', he recalled what just happened in the past couple hours or so.

"Lance." Keith said, testing out the name. Not bad for a first impression, but he could've done way better.

Sighing Keith got under his covers, not bothering to remove his staff clothes in favor of his silk pants.

'Tomorrow,' He thought. 'will he be the same tomorrow?'

Guess he has to watch all the videos of Lance before he got to the palace to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* I still feel like this chapter was too short T-T but I need to pace myself. If you're thinking that the Galra rebel attack was just a random one, fear not! You will soon find out that it was not just a random attack!
> 
> Also, forgive me for not going into detail on many things. I'm on limited time and I have homework (as sad as it is to say T-T) so I won't add details about much. I want to accelerate to the main plot as well but that will have to wait until the next update.
> 
> Please forgive me for these irregular updates! Try as I might, this thing is still really hard to do and I'm very new to it! Comments and kudos are well appreciated!
> 
> Until the next update!~

**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS MY FIRST FIC PLS DON'T YELL AT ME
> 
> Wow, that was a rollercoaster.
> 
> I feel like I made this chapter too short and a little rushed oops. I just really want to get to the juicy parts of this fanfic, forgive me for not exploring any backgrounds and such.
> 
> Also, if Lance is Latino/Mexican (I don't know, sorry if I unknowingly offend someone! It's not my intention!), he won't be speaking any Spanish. Nor will Keith be speaking any Korean. Or any other character that might be of some other race. I don't want to get things wrong because I don't speak the language and don't want to offend anyone. Sorry!
> 
> P.S Here are the ages of all the OC/canon characters I've made up along with their caste (all are subject to change and characters may be added as I progress with the story):  
> Jay - 19: 5  
> Alex - 19: 5  
> ^These two are twins^  
> Lance - Late teens (refer to Voltron Wiki [let's just say he's 17]): 5  
> Jace - 15: 5  
> Sammy - 12: 5  
> Hunk - Late teens (refer to Voltron Wiki [let's just say he's 17]): 4  
> Shay - 16-17 (refer to Voltron Wiki [let's just say she's 16 almost 17]: 2  
> Keith - Late teens (refer to Voltron Wiki [let's just say he's 17]): 1  
> Pidge - 16 (refer to Voltron Wiki [I'm going to bump up their age so the story fits ok I'm sorry]): 3  
> Shiro - 38 (refer to Voltron Wiki [I'm going to make him 38 ok]): 1  
> Allura - 37 (refer to Voltron Wiki [I'm going to make her 37 ok]): 1  
> Coran - 45 (refer to Voltron Wiki [I'm going to make him 45 ok]): 2  
> Enzo - 25: 2  
> Shane - 20: 2  
> Ash - 23: 2  
> Alec - 19: 2  
> Kaden - 16: 3
> 
> Again, this is subject to change! I may add their final age at the end of this fic, but for now, refer to this as their age ok!
> 
> (Also, if you're wondering about how each character looks in this AU, I will give details in the next chapter, whether it be in the notes or the chapter itself. Thanks for reading!)


End file.
